


when they pour out to paper, it's all for you

by Hibibun



Category: Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M, Not Beta Read, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26355448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hibibun/pseuds/Hibibun
Summary: “You?You know this is reality, right? One slip, you’re dead. And if you’ve been following me, then you already know I’m doing fine; as if I need a lazy airhead like you.”Matt’s known the other long enough that he’s devolving to insults as a means of misdirection. He’s in over his head and doesn’t want to admit it—he’s been watching after all, and whatever he’s been through these last three years shows that truth quite well.
Relationships: Matt | Mail Jeevas & Mello | Mihael Keehl, Matt | Mail Jeevas/Mello | Mihael Keehl
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	when they pour out to paper, it's all for you

**Author's Note:**

> am i actually posting a tiny mattmello reunion fic i started months ago and finished at approximately 4 am. yes, apparently i am. it has been several years since i have written either of them or reread the manga so there might. be details misplaced, i just had a sudden resurgence of thoughts about them a couple months ago and felt like finishing this as a warm up.
> 
> title is from the song 'I Want to Know Your Plans' by Say Anything

He hadn’t expected someone in the room when he got back, but given who and what he’s been looking into he really should have known better.

The place was a mostly rundown motel that allotted anonymity, but that was likely also what would make it easy to let another stranger in, if said stranger happened to act like he knew him. Seeing as the person now matching his gun point wasn’t entirely a stranger, such a scenario made it rather easy to get access to his room.

“Really Mell? Three years and this is how you greet me?” Matt asks tone relatively light for the situation. The truth was the hardened gaze glaring back at him right now was undeniably Mello, but not the same boy he used to call his friend.

“You pointed it at me first,” Mello eventually answers back, no similar mirth found in his voice. Cold and clipped, not even a hint of irritation like the redhead had expected.

For as elated as seeing Mello again made him, the reality was sinking in that he really wasn’t the same person. Every instinct and training Matt’s had tells him not to waver his aim, but truthfully he’s never shot it once, and has no plans of doing so at Mello. With this in mind, he lowers his weapon and tries not to feel depressed it takes the blond moments later to do the same.

“So what are you doing here?” Matt asks, taking the chance to feign nonchalance and lower his guard as expected of him. It didn’t matter because Mello wouldn’t be fooled for an instant.

“You aren’t stupid, as much as you pretend to be—you know exactly why I’m here,” Mellow narrows his eyes. “The real question is why are _you_ snooping around?”  
  
Delayed by his old friend’s stare, Matt belatedly answers, “…Looking for you.” Turning away, he moves to dig out his PSP; the action gives him a reason to look away, even though he is very much still paying attention. It’s with the same training he doesn’t flinch when predictably Mello slams his hand on the bedside table, inches from where his gloved hand was pulling the handheld from the drawer. He’d never been one to appreciate being ignored.

“I’m not going back with you. I already told them, I’m not working with Near.”

“I wasn’t looking for you to do that,” Matt starts, dividing his attention because the conversation is more nerve wracking than he’d let on. “Is it so hard to believe, maybe, I just wanted to find you? I could help.”

Mello’s gaze hasn’t softened once, and at least the mocking expression it now morphs to is familiar.

“ _You?_ You know this is reality, right? One slip, you’re dead. And if you’ve been following me, then you already know I’m doing fine; as if I need a lazy airhead like you.”

Matt’s known the other long enough that he knows Mello is devolving to insults as a means of misdirection. He’s in over his head and doesn’t want to admit it—he’s been watching after all, and whatever he’s been through these last three years shows that truth quite well.

“You’re stuck right now though aren’t you?” Matt brings up and bites back the spark of satisfaction his statement brings in the way it twists Mello’s face into irritation. It’s still easy to do and that is mildly comforting, even if his old friend appears seconds away from pointing a gun at him again.

“I’m working on it,” Mello justifies. Matt snorts and finishes his quest in retrieving his handheld. Mello doesn’t stop him this time, but still looks annoyed.

“I could do it right now. Just tell me what you need and where and I could do it. That simple.”

The stare Mello gives him now is heavy—less angry and more calculating. He’s weighing the pros and cons of something, and Matt is equal parts terrified and desperate to sell his point. Something tells him if he lets Mello leave this motel room tonight without any kind of deal made, this is the last chance he’ll have at seeing him again. It’s already taken a long time to narrow down where he went, following cold trail after cold trail until he happened to be lucky enough to hear about a tip from someone in one of his servers in the United States. It was so unlikely to even be true—just a passing similarity mentioned, yet he came anyway.

Mello won’t let himself be found a second time. 

“I have all my stuff here, just tell me what you need Mello, and I’ll do it.”

“What are you looking for here Matt?” He begins quietly, hand gripping tight the rosary around his neck and the gun concealed in his coat pocket.

“Why are you here? I mean it, this really isn’t a game.”

“I never sai—”

“Go home. Go back to the house, and tell Roger that I never asked anyone to come looking for me. I’m _not_ coming back! I’m so close Matt, and I’m not letting you or anything else mess it up for me!”

At that, Matt makes himself look away from his game and up. He really doesn’t know how many times he’ll need to repeat himself, but this has nothing to do with Roger or any of them. He doesn’t want to even think about what that sorry excuse for an old man had to say to him when suddenly number one is shipped off to fight Kira, while number two vanishes into the rain. The boy who only ever firmly remained in third is suddenly de-facto first in the house and next in line if anything else goes wrong—none of which appealed to Matt in the slightest.

When he gets down to it truly, even Kira means very little to him too. This has always been about Mello and nothing else.

“I’m not here for Roger,” he repeats, voice steady against the rising anger in Mello’s.

“I don’t need you for this.”

Matt ignores the twinge of pain his statement gives as he’d always known the sentiment here was more for him than the blond in front of him.

“I’m not saying that either. I’m offering my services, and you don’t even have to tell them it was me who did it. It’ll be easy.” Matt places his PSP on the bed and reaches for the drawer again. He digs out a little notepad and paper, jotting down his number and a secure way to contact him online, holding out the tiny sheet as an offering.

“Take it or don’t. I’m not asking for anything, just saying if you need me, I’m here.”

Mello continues his stare and Matt forces himself not to flinch when hurried, heavy steps come towards him and snatch the paper from his hand.

“Just stop following me. _If_ I decide to, I’ll contact you. Otherwise, stay here or leave, I don’t care. None of it will matter soon, anyway.”

“Alright, sure thing Mell,” Matt directs his attention away again, aware that took more of Mello’s pride then he’d likely ever admit. Sure enough, he’s barely given a goodbye before he’s storming away and slamming the motel’s door behind him.

A week later, he receives a text from an unknown number and after that some coordinates and a set of encoded instructions. And for now, that’s all he needs.


End file.
